Seconds out, Round Four. V Blackpool away Tues, 30th Jan. 7-0'clock.

[TANGODANCER]

What's happened to the beautiful game? Horrible game, horrible ref. Not a good advert for a team chasing promotion. Both their disallowed goals were from sharp-eyed linesmen, not the ref. Standard formula for playing Bolton, keep them out first half, turn it on in the second. They had their keeper to thank for a solid display. From us, very much Bovine rears and stringed instruments. So, that's two chances to shine gone down the Swannee. Bod has some nice touches, but sadly just isn't robust enough for a first choice striker; too easily brushed off the ball and no Usain Bolt. Thomason gives everything 100 percent, unfortunately even his fouls. Too soon to comment on the new lads.

Okay, had a moan about losing to Blackpool, who are no Barcelona, but it galls nevertheless. We're better than that and we'll need to be come Saturday. .

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Pompey drop two points.

[DJBlu]

Pompey drop two points.

Two draws, one I like, one I don't.

Not all bad tonight.

[brommers95]

Wanderers old boy James Henry with the late equaliser for Oxford

[jmjhb]

Pompey drop two points.

A bad result for the teams that played and a good result for the ones that didn't.

[officer_dibble]

Blimey. Still remember his goal v Scunny on Boxing Day. Best thing he did for us.

[Mar]

Would be interesting to get a neutrals take on that referee. We're clearly biased to the point where we're bound to be aggrieved by any non decision given our way.


Positives from tonight, new boy looked decent-ish, early doors, crossing was a concern I guess. JDC covered Santos' position in a backs to the wall and looked competent, despite not being an overly calming influence (expected I guess).

[BWFC_Insane]

Santos has a calf injury and needs a scan. Doesn’t sound massively positive judging by Evatts massive sigh.

[DJBlu]

Santos has a calf injury and needs a scan. Doesn’t sound massively positive judging by Evatts massive sigh.

Managerial mind games.

[officer_dibble]

Toal has an Achilles problem as well! fecking hell, we’ll have to do some business tomorrow.

[BWFC_Insane]

Santos was injured in the warm up but played the first half.

What sort of absolute nonsense is this? Come on.

Toal injured too. Sharon is going to have to get the chequebook out to keep the promotion show on the road.

Evatt already seems to be saying we will need centre backs now.

[DJBlu]

Santos was injured in the warm up but played the first half.

What sort of absolute nonsense is this? Come on.

Toal injured too. Sharon is going to have to get the chequebook out to keep the promotion show on the road.

Evatt already seems to be saying we will need centre backs now.

Quit panicking, you're coming across as desperate. We're all aware of what's needed, jumping around and saying it in every other post isn’t going to make it happen any quicker.

[Prufrock]

We all know what late James Henry winners mean

[GhostoftheBok]

I'm too sick to get into that game.

We were okay until the makeshift back 5 started to happen and Charles missed yet another sitter. Is that 5 games now where he's had probably 8 easy chances and another half dozen decent ones. I have some cows and a banjo if he wants to pop up to the farm and practice.

The only thing that genuinely pissed me off was Dempsey wussing out of pens and letting a 20-year-old loanee do his job for him. A senior pro wearing the armband, he can feck off.

Otherwise fine with it. Hate losing, but understand entirely why we lost and we did try and most showed up.

[Harry Genshaw]

Meh. Much as I wanted to win, it was never going to match last years occasion had we got to Wembley. First half we should have been home and dry. 2nd half only they were going to win it until that final minute miss of Dion's.

I thought it was odd Dempsey didn't take a pen. The ref, badgering Ashworth over I don't know what, as he was putting the ball on the spot annoyed me more. The Police cordons and Lane closures on the way home were the worst.

Over it already.

[BWFC_Insane]

I'm too sick to get into that game.

We were okay until the makeshift back 5 started to happen and Charles missed yet another sitter. Is that 5 games now where he's had probably 8 easy chances and another half dozen decent ones. I have some cows and a banjo if he wants to pop up to the farm and practice.

The only thing that genuinely pissed me off was Dempsey wussing out of pens and letting a 20-year-old loanee do his job for him. A senior pro wearing the armband, he can feck off.

Otherwise fine with it. Hate losing, but understand entirely why we lost and we did try and most showed up.

Charles chance on the turn? Harsh if so.

Jerome missed our best chance.

[GhostoftheBok]

Charles chance on the turn? Harsh if so.

Jerome missed our best chance.

Jerome's one-on-one was better, yes; but he's Jerome.

That effort on the turn was a very good chance. The defender fell away and Charles put it straight at the keeper.

He did beautifully to fashion it, but he couldn't bury a dead hamster right now.

He needs one to go in via a deflection and he'll be fine.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Charles chance on the turn? Harsh if so.

Jerome missed our best chance.

Jerome's one-on-one was better, yes; but he's Jerome.

That effort on the turn was a very good chance. The defender fell away and Charles put it straight at the keeper.

He did beautifully to fashion it, but he couldn't bury a dead hamster right now.

He needs one to go in via a deflection and he'll be fine.

Couldn't even score from the spot. Looks like Boris and his mates were right - this is his dry spell. Trouble is, nobody else scored either.

As I said during the match - I love Bod but he's looking much less of a player these days. He has his uses - great if we're winning - but we can't rely on him or Jerome to score.

[Mar]

Charles chance on the turn? Harsh if so.

Jerome missed our best chance.

Jerome's one-on-one was better, yes; but he's Jerome.

Not sure we can use that as a legitimate excuse for why we're not scoring. We can't have passengers in the team. Right now i'm torn with Jerome, on the one hand he seems to be improving (although that might be just game time) and seems to be offering coaching tips to the other players. All looks good, barring the on pitch output.

Jerome's supposed to be being used as a 'finisher'. At the minute, he's neither finishing out the game or finishing off our chances. I like his work rate and I think he's got a role to play this season, but keeping him on the pitch for a good 75 minutes when he's looking knackered after twenty just hamstrings our chances. Now presumably, he's standing in for the likes of N'lundulu, but it definitely seems we're missing something. Maybe that drives the point home to our investors? Not intending on singling out Jerome, but question marks were raised and the same concerns are there, despite him getting, better?

Today's game could've been one of the most pivotal of this season, and yet it's now resigned to the dustbin of forgotten opportunities. Take the Accrington Semi last season, that was a pivotal game and yet to Accrington it won't mean a damned thing. If I were Charles, or any other player for that matter that was really keen on getting to Wembley again, and you see Jerome starting ahead of you in a 'must-win' game, you'd be cutting a frustrated figure. Same goes for anyone looking at Morley's involvement at the moment.

Hindsight's a beautiful thing, and looking back on it, we could've probably had better fortune playing today's players against Carlisle and our big hitters against Blackpool, who clearly posed a bigger threat. Ah, well, ifs and buts...

[GhostoftheBok]

If I were Charles, or any other player for that matter that was really keen on getting to Wembley again, and you see Jerome starting ahead of you in a 'must-win' game, you'd be cutting a frustrated figure.

Yeah, but they take shit from both sides here.

Starting first teamers? Why are you risking injuries?

Not starting first teamers? This was a pivotal game!

I wasn't using Jerome as an excuse for us not scoring, he's just not very good at scoring goals right now.

I'm not making a commentary on it either way tonight. I probably shouldn't have gone to the game with bronchitis and now I feel like hammered shite, so I'm just noting what I saw. It's not going to be stellar stuff, because I was walking wounded and just about there.

Jerome had a good chance. He missed. I wasn't confident he'd score. That's all I've got on that at the minute. Do any of the others bury it? No idea. We need a lad in, that much I know. I did think Dion would bury the winner on the turn. I was more disappointed with that, despite Jerome's chance being easier for 9 out of 10 cats.